Outlaws And Inlaws
by inspirationimagination
Summary: Slightly AU: Dean's finally got the family he always wanted and Sam comes to spend Christmas with them. They've fought Vampires, Wendigos and Werewolves but can they survive the most horrifying thing of all? Christmas with the Inlaws. With beautiful kids raised the Dean Winchester way and a loving wife, Dean had everything. And is happy when Sam starts to find his own happiness.
1. Chapter 1

Outlaws And Inlaws

Chapter 1

**AN: I met to post this before Christmas but work and planning inevitably got in the way. Just wan to say a thank you to It'sJustADream, who I bounced ideas of and got advice. (Ie Pulled me away from writing something stupid lol) Happy Christmas, hope you like it x**

Dean peered between the curtains, scanning the area around their home as large flakes slowly fell, adding to the drifts that had already built up on the sides of the road.

"Will you relax;" came his wife's voice. "You're like this every year and we're still alive."

He sighed and turned to face her. "Maybe that's the reason why we're still alive." he said gruffly; she merely rolled her eyes and headed to the kitchen.

It was Friday, Christmas weekend and he was already getting anxious. For most parents, Christmas preparations included gift shopping, taking the kids to see Santa at the mall and then waking up at the crack of dawn. They did most of those things, but Dean refused to let his kids go to the mall to see 'Santa'. _'Why would I pay for my kids to sit on the knee of some guy in a polyester costume? It's creepy. Besides, if they want to tell some old guy what they want for Christmas, that's what Bobby's for.'_ was his argument every year. His wife took them anyway, while Dean stood to the side with a gruff look, his eagle eyes never leaving the creepy 'Santa'.

Dean was especially protective over their first born, his little girl, Mary-Ellen. Mary-Ellen was tough as nails, a trait he proudly boasted to the principal the second time they'd been called in. Mary-Ellen pulled out the puppy dog eyes and swore the only reason she kicked butt was because the boys had tried to kiss her. Dean was thrilled with this, insisting his daughter wasn't even allowed her first date until she was 30. He took her for ice cream that night, despite his wife once again chiding him. _'You're supposed to be disciplining her Dean, not taking her out for ice cream.'_

_'And pie.' his little girl so helpfully supplied._

_His wife raised her eyebrows and Dean did his best to look innocent._

His wife returned from the kitchen after a few minutes, an apron around her waist, drying her hands with a small towel. Dean was stoking the fire with his iron poker; the set was a house gift from bobby, who insisted the fact they were iron was only a coincidence. "Now what?" she teased. "Smoking spirits out of the chimney?" she smirked; she put up with his 'habits' if it gave him piece of mind, and especially if there was even the slightly chance it would someday protect the kids.

"Do I look like a red Indian to you?" he joked, straightening up and replacing the poker to its stand.

"More like my cowboy." she smiled, stepping in to his arms.

"Really?" he smirked, leaning in to capture a kiss. She didn't fight his embrace as she ran her arms over his perfect back. Dean felt her pull away and knew instantly he had been busted as her fingertips traced the cold metal at the small of his back.

She pulled out the gun and held it up to him awaiting explanation. He looked like a deer in the headlights of a Chevy, and then he merely grinned, trying to appease her.

"Dean, you know I don't like you carrying around the house." she reprimanded, expertly putting on the safety catch and removing the magazine clip.

"Come on Jen, you know I feel naked without a gun." he said, his eyebrows jumping suggestively.

"Nakedness never stopped you before." she smirked, sliding the clip in to her apron and handing him the empty gun. "It's only fair Dean; if I had to put my shotgun in the safe, you can go easy on the artillery."

"That's because shotguns are unstable, you know that; easily misfire. Besides, it was your idea to put it in the safe. And anyway, I need that gun." he insisted with a slight whine, looking down at his beautifully engraved and yet now useless weapon.

"Oh, like you need the 9mm in the flowerpot on the porch? Or the Smith & Wesson in the toilet cistern? And the handgun you hide _inside_ the TV?" she challenged knowingly, remembering when she'd taken the back off the TV to see why it was overheating, only for a pistol to fall out.

Dean merely looked at her. "You know about those huh?" he tried to say innocently, awkwardly shifting when she nodded. "They're for protection." he defended. "D'ya know what would happen if we got caught short without protection?" he asked rhetorically, considering all the times he and Sam had been caught off guard.

"8 years of marriage, 2 kids and a Hunter for a husband?" she smiled.

He smiled, capturing a final kiss.

"Go bring the kids down for dinner." she said, ducking from his lingering kisses. She headed back to the kitchen. "And hide that gun." she called back.

"Yeah, yeah." he mumbled, begrudgingly abandoning his gun in to one of the Christmas stocking over the fireplace. He trudged upstairs to find his kids, wondering what Hell they'd unleashed now.

xXx

He found them in Mary-Ellen's room. Sam was coming to stay for Christmas so Dean had set a camp bed in his little boy's room for Mary Ellen, and Sam would have her bed. Dean smirked, noting the pink sheets Sam would be sleeping with.

His daughter was sitting against her headboard, a heavy black book on her pulled up knees. She's the most beautiful girl in the world, Dean's always thought, and he would punch any father who argued differently. His other pride and joy was laying on his belly in the middle of the floor, little bow-legs flat out behind him, his adorable face screwed up in concentration; he had his father's frown. _'He's going to break some hearts when he hits his teens.'_ his mother had always said, again, Dean's chest swelled with pride. His name was 'Sammy Winchester' on his birth certificate, much to big Sam's annoyance and disbelief.

"Daddy!" his son's voice came adoringly. "Don't look!" he yelled, trying to cover the picture he'd been drawing. "I needs to finis' it!"

"Ok, buddy." Dean said, smiling at the mess of papers and crayons around his son. He headed to sit beside his daughter; she was almost in a bubble when she started reading. He nudged her playfully. "What'cha" readin'? he asked, seeing her frown like her mother for interrupting her, but it soon smoothed out.

"A book from Uncle Bobby's." she said, not removing her eyes from the page.

"Really..." Dean considered, looking over the cover. It didn't exactly look like a book about unicorns, rainbows and princesses, or whatever other little girls were reading. "Let me see,"

She closed it with a thud and handed it over, looking slightly shifty. He looked at the title.

_'Vengeful spirits; Find it, Dig it, Burn it!'_ He nodded at the concise title.

"So Uncle Bobby just 'gave' you this to read?" he asked doubtfully. She didn't meet his eyes. "Mary-Ellen," he began gruffly.

"It's not stealing, I always return them." she shrugged.

"What do I say about lying?" he asked firmly.

"'It's not lying, it's just bending the truth!'" she recited.

_'Ok, I'll give her that one.'_ he thinks with a nod. "What does Mom say about lying?"

She sighed. "It's wrong, even if no one ever finds out."

"That's right. You're going to give this back to Bobby and apologize for taking it without asking." He pauses, knowing if she looks up with those wide green eyes he's screwed. "Go wash your hands for dinner." he says.

She gives him a brief hug and then heads out the room, her long curls bouncing behind her.

"Hey champ, you done already?" he asked, turning to Sammy.

"Almos'" he called back excitedly, swinging his little legs back and forth in delight.

"If you don't hurry you might miss dinner." At the same second the green eyed boy jumped up with a piece of paper and ran to his father.

"Look! Look!" he said, thrusting the paper in to his dad's hands and hopping on to his knee.

"Wow!" Dean feigned over excitedly. "It's a-" he stopped as he looked down at the paper.

"Sigil! Sigil!" his son chanted. He had scribbled a simple Angel's sigil in red crayola.

_'Oh, great,'_ Dena thought with a sigh. _'It was bad enough when he started drawing pentagrams everywhere. She's going to kill me.'_ Dean thought, knowing his wife would wait until the kids were in bed to rip his head off.

The toddler hit his palm against the paper repeatedly, expecting something to happen.

"Sorry buddy, this one must be faulty." Dean said, knowing it would take more than crayola to get this sigil to work. He grabbed up his son, lifting him on to his shoulders, leaving the drawing behind. "Come on, scrub time." He eyed the amount of felt tip ink on the little hands, knowing he'd only get half of it off before his son lost interest and grew restless. It seemed he'd inherited his father's temperament. Much to his wife's horror during the Great Toddler Temper Tantrums of summer '11. Sammy had mellowed since then, thank God.

xXx

Dean strode into the kitchen with his now ink-free son determinedly trying to reach the ceiling, his hands stretched up high. Dean's hands were ever secure on his son as he lifted him off his shoulders, turned him upside down, back up and sat him down in his booster seat beside his sister. Sammy chuckled in delight. His wife was already at the head of the table, Mary-Ellen to her left; Dean dropped in to his seat at the other end of the table. Dean spared a glance at the empty chair and place mat at his left, opposite the children; Sam was running late.

"I saved him some." Jen said, undoubtedly reading his expression. Dean nodded; a huge portion because Sam was a human dustbin.

He looked down and saw steak, potatoes and veggies. He didn't like the look of the veggies, but that steak had his name on it. He pulled his pocket knife from his boot, popped it open and stabbed in to the meat. He heard Jen mumble something about it being unsanitary, but smirked when he saw her doing exactly the same. Luckily, for the younger people at the table, their mother had shredded their meat to within an inch of its life.

"Stop nudging me," Mary-Ellen whispered. Dean glanced up from his food to see Sammy not too subtly elbowing his sister. Dean knew he was trying to swap his veggies for her meat; a habit he'd gained when he was introduced to sprouts.

"No swapping Sammy," Dean said gruffly. He could see Sammy about to argue. "Sorry buddy, but if I gotta eat my veggies then so do you."

"But, Dad, you don't eat your vegetables, you hide them in your mashed potato." Mary-Ellen said looking confused. Dean's eyes stayed on his plate; how is it his kids can drop him in trouble so often?

"Just...eat your dinner." he fumbled.

xXx

Once they were done and cleared the table away, Sammy was excited to get back upstairs.

"D'awings!" he proudly exclaimed when his mother asked.

Dean turned his back to her and heard Sammy's little feet racing away as soon as they hit the floor. Dean stood awkwardly pouring himself a drink.

"Sigils, really?" she said.

He turned to see her holding one of Sammy's drawings; little squirt must have kept one in his pocket. Sneaky little...

"He's just expressing himself." Dean said; that's the kind of crap that Nanny 911 said, right?

"My ass." Jen retorted. "I told you, I don't want those dicks in our home."

"They're not all dicks," he argued.

"Ok, besides Castiel, can you name one Angel who isn't a dick?" she challenged. Something told him this was one of those 'freaky woman mind tricks' where either answer would get him in trouble. And he wasn't going to mention Anna, not after the reaction it gained last time.

"It's just a phase; he'll get over it." he dodged. "Mary-Ellen did."

"And look where that got us!" she said exasperatedly.

When Mary-Ellen was a lot younger, Dean had made the mistake of mentioning in passing that Angels were real. She had then convinced herself she was an Angel; she took to wearing the white costume wings they'd bought her for the previous Halloween, and it was kind of cute. Until she'd jumped off the top of her cabinet and broke her arm. She said she had been trying to fly to Heaven to see Grandma Mary. That was the first time Dean had cried over one of his babies; (he'd passed out in the delivery room but that didn't count, right?). They had tried to remove him from the treatment room for punching a doctor. It wasn't Dean's fault; Mary-Ellen had told the Doctor to stop pressing down, that it was hurting. Dean had endured it, until her little hand grabbed his and cried out in pain. Dean's reflex was to hit anything trying to hurt her, or at least that's what he tried to explain to the broken nosed Doctor.

He swilled the last of his drink down his throat; she recognized that expression. She stepped closer to him, pulling him in to a hug, her head falling against his broad chest.

"Dean, I'm not saying it's your fault," she began.

"You did when Mary-Ellen got hurt."

"I was upset; my baby was being encased in plaster, what did you expect? But I'm not angry, Dean. You're right, he'll grow out of it." she soothed.

In his experience an upset wife was the same as an angry wife; they both resulted in him sleeping on the couch and a week of silent treatment.

They stayed quiet for a moment, until the front door opened. Dean's hand immediately went to the small of his back, his gun wasn't there. He stepped in front of his wife with a frown, pressing against the wall.

"Just me!" they heard Sam call. Dean looked to his wife who was expertly gripping a kitchen knife. She replaced it in the block with a defensive 'what?' kind of look.

Jen hurried towards the front door and jumped at Sam when she found him, closing the door behind himself. He was, if possible, taller since the last time she'd seen him.

"Sam!" she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck as his giant arms encased her, lifting her 3 feet clean off the ground. "You don't come see us often enough." she scolded as he placed her back down, smiling widely.

"Been busy," Sam shrugged.

"I'll bet," Dean said, pulling Sam in for a 'man hug', holding tight and then releasing with a few sturdy pats to the back.

A rumble of footsteps came down the stairs as Mary-Ellen flew at Sam. He scooped her up, resting her on his hip. "How is it you get more beautiful every time I see you?" he asked, as she buried her head in the crook of his neck, playing with his hair. There was a steady thump-thump as little Sammy took one step at a time as quick as he could.

As soon as he reached the bottom he ran and wrapped himself around Sam's leg. "Hey bud, I thought you'd be in bed by now." Sam said, awkwardly looking down.

"Supposed to be." Jen smiled.

"Mom, can we go play in the snow with Uncle Sam before bed?" Mary-Ellen asked sweetly.

"It's cold out, and it's getting late." her mother reasoned.

Mary-Ellen looked to her father with her emerald orb eyes. "Please Daddy, please?" she sweetly pleaded.

Dean knew he was screwed. "Five minutes can't hurt." he said to his wife after a minute. Sammy and Mary-Ellen looked back at Jen; Daddy might give them what they want but Mommy had the final say, even if Dean thought otherwise.

"Fine, five minutes," she caved. The kids immediately took off to find shoes and coats. "I hope you'll be sterner when you have kids, Sam." Jen joked.

Sam smirked. "I don't know about that." he mumbled, ducking his head.

"What's her name?" Sam looked awkward. She grabbed up his wrist to show the thin, soft leather bracelet with a silver clasp and charm attached. "A man does not buy jewellery like that for himself." she smiled. "So, what's her name?" she asked again.

Sam hid a smile. "Her name is Sara." he mused.

"It serious?"

"Erm, semi-serious," Sam hedged.

"Well, I bet she's lovely." she crooned. "She the reason you're late?" she smirked.

"Kind of;" he smirked. "She asked me to drop her off at the mall, but I hit traffic on the way over anyway."

"Wait, the mall?" Dean piped up. "What, you chasing jailbait now?" he asked incredulously.

"What? Dude, no, she works there." Sam sighed.

"As what, a cleaner?" Dean chuckled.

"No, a model at Ann Summers." Sam said, a slight pink tint appearing on his cheeks. Dean's face fell only to spark up again in an even wider grin.

"Ann Summers, huh? Way to go, Sammy! Seems I made a man out of you after all." Dean said patronizingly. Sam grinned and bared it. "She must be hot." Dean winked, earning an elbow from his wife.

"I'm sure she's _beautiful_." she corrected.

"Mommy, who is Ann Summers?" All the adults turned to see Mary-Ellen and Sammy; coats, hats, scarfs, gloves and boots ready to head out. Sammy's hat kept falling over his eyes, and his coat looked so big it was surprising he could walk at all without waddling.

"Uh, never mind that," Jen hedged. "Why don't we go start a snowman?" she insisted. "Daddy and Uncle Sammy will be out in a minute." She grabbed and pulled on her coat. "You boys behave." she called back. They smiled sweetly until she disappeared in to the yard with the kids. As soon as the back door shut, Sam immediately turned to Dean.

"Salt?"

"Basement- when the kids go to bed." Dean replied.

"Holy water?"

"Done."

"Devil's Traps?" Sam pressed.

Dean gave an are-you-kidding-me look. The first thing he'd done when they got the house was tear up the old flooring and paint Devil's Traps throughout the entire house; especially under ever door and window.

"Lock the windows?"

"Yes, Sammy, I locked the-" Dean began to insist.

"Even the attic window?" Sam interrupts pressingly.

Dean's silent for a moment before he rolls his eyes and trudges to the stairs.

"You forget _every _year." Sam laughs.

"'Oh, you forget every year'" Dean mocks, heading upstairs.

**AN: Would love to hear what you think x Thanks for reading**


	2. Chapter 2

Outlaws And Inlaws- Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you to ****kb18142, reannablue, murphy9202, samgirl19, Elric2007, X1Sweetie1X, It'sJustADream and lilja89. I'm so happy with the response I got from the first chapter. Hope this doesn't disappoint x**

When they finally got outside it's been longer than five minutes, but no one cares to point it out. Sammy is lying in the snow, spreading his arms and legs wide repeatedly. He jumps up when he sees his Father and Uncle step outside.

"Look! I made a Cas'iel!" he says triumphantly as he points down at the snow Angel he's made.

"Can I help?" Sam asked. Sammy nodded, excitedly. Sam used his leg to create a much more impressive wing span. "Better?" he asks his nephew.

Sammy nodded vigorously and high-fived his Uncle. Mary-Ellen and her Mother were working on a snowman, trying to roll the huge bottom boulder. Dean joined and helped get it in to position as Sam stayed with Sammy, who was determined to make more Angels.

Half an hour later and there were 2 snowmen; one taller than the other (a fact that Mary-Ellen seemed to find hilarious as she looked between her Father and Uncle). There were also a dozen or so snow Angels, their long wings (thanks to Big Sam) overlapping. They stole Sam's hat for the taller snowman and stood back proudly. They crowded around the dining table, divested of wet coats and cradling hot chocolate, with marshmallows at Mary-Ellen's request, and chocolate sprinkles at Sammy's insistence.

"Daddy, is Santa coming tonight?" Sammy asked,

"Ok, buddy, it's about time you know," Dean began with a sigh. "Santa's not-" he cut off as his wife imperiously held a spoon at him, eyes wide and insistent. Dean had seen the don't-you-dare look before, and a spoon had never looked so frightening until wielded by his wife.

"Santa's not-er- Santa's not coming tonight." he awkwardly ended. Phew, talk about dodging a bullet. "That's tomorrow night." he added. "He's gonna bring his jolly self down the chimney and leave presents for you." He added in overkill; he could see his Brother's doubtful look.

Their translation of Christmas had always been- 'some creepy guy is going to break in to your house while you're sleeping and ply your vulnerable children with treats'. Apparently, their approach to Christmas wasn't exactly child friendly.

"Come on, time for bed." Jen interrupted; keen to avoid the 'big revelation' when they're still so young. The children groaned but otherwise did as they were told. "Sam, dinner's in the oven." she added, peaking his interest.

Sammy got scooped up by his Mother as Mary-Ellen hopped on Dean's back. Once upstairs and tucked in, they insisted on a story. Their favourites were always 'Daddy's special stories', the very few child appropriate ones of course. But their Mother had banned them after Sammy tried imitating them, heading bravely in to his closet with his water pistol and 'shot' Mary-Ellen's favourite teddy bear for being "po-dessed".

They settled for Red Riding Hood for the millionth time, Dean's borderline version, where the Big Bad Wolf didn't end up locked in the woodshed by the Woodsman, but instead was killed with a shotgun. They kids actually found it funny, much to Jen's surprise, when Dean added sound effects for the gun and resulting splatter. And when the Huntsman ended up with the beautiful Red Riding Hood.

"I can't believe you keep telling them that story." Jen smiled, as she quietly closed the bedroom door behind them.

"It's just a story, they can take it." he shrugged; his children had never had nightmares from anything he'd told them. Mary-Ellen had secretly been reading about this stuff for weeks and she hadn't changed at all, if anything she had gotten even braver.

"Yeah of course, because it's not at all based on how we met in Chicago with the werewolf." she smiled knowingly.

He ducked his head; Red Riding Hood finding a wolf in her house did sound vaguely familiar, especially the bit about the Woodsman bursting in to save the day with a silver-loaded shotgun. "Except you weren't wearing red when we met, you were wearing-"

"Nothing," she mused. "I was just getting in to the shower." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Love at first sight." he offered with a jump of his eyebrows.

"More like lust." she chuckled.

xXx

Sam was scraping the remnants of his food in to the trash as they walked in, then placing the plate and cutlery in to the sink.

"Wanna catch the last of the game?" Dean asked, but his wife cut across him.

"Sorry boys, tonight's a late one for you. I've got chores for you to do." she smiled.

Sam looked to Dean, who had an expression of 'Damn, I thought she'd forget.' She didn't miss a trick.

"Come on Dean, look at this place; it needs more decorations and you haven't even put a tree up yet." she argued; he'd been ducking jobs for days.

"I was waiting for Sam." he defended.

"Good thing he's here now then." she smirked in victory, heading off again.

"And where are you going to be while we're working hard?" Dean called.

"Taking a bath." she chimed.

Dean huffed. "Come on Gigantor, let's go kill a tree."

xXx

Once they had retrieved Dean's favourite axe ("I can't believe you have a favourite axe." Sam chuckled.) they headed back outside. They soon located a 'sizeable' tree that Dean insisted on having. Dean swung with deadly force, embedding the blade in the trunk, the whole tree swaying. Sam noticed Dean glancing awkwardly around at the sound.

"This is stealing, Dean." Sam asked, eyeing the house attached to the driveway that was definitely not Dean's, and the name on the mailbox was not 'Winchester'.

Dean shifted a little. "No," he tried innocently, noticing Sam's raised eyebrows. He gave a half shrug. "It's Christmas, Sammy, it's the season of good will."

"So you're stealing your neighbor's tree?"

"Borrowing, Sammy, _borrowing_." He went back to swinging at the trunk, deep rivets and splinters fracturing out. After a couple more hits Sam felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw a little old lady, wrapped up in layers.

"Are you a burglar?" she accused, eyeing Sam with suspicion. A burglar who steals a tree? Really? Behind him, Dean had flattened himself against the tree, branches sticking in his back.

"Erm, no ma'am," Sam said, fumbling for his wallet. "I am a...er- lumberjack!" he said, presenting her with ID. "See, this tree, er- is, er- overhanging the lawn and its-its- blocking sunlight and-" She looked it over, giving him a cursory look.

"You don't look like a lumberjack." she interrupted in confusion.

"Casual Friday." Sam shrugged. She eyes him, towering above her with a friendly smile. She gave a nod and trudged back off, back through the snow, not glancing back. Dean peeked from behind the tree.

"She gone?" Dean asked, stepping away from the tree.

"Yeah." Sam mumbled, returning his wallet to his pocket. "You know her?"

"Mrs. Stafford. Lives down at No. 4." Dean said, nodding in the general direction she was headed.

"And you're scared of her because..." Sam trailed off.

"I'm not scared of her, Sam; she just doesn't like me very much. Not since I nearly ran over her cat." Sam gave him a look. "Come on, Sammy, I said 'nearly'. What ID you show her anyway?"

"My library card."

Dean chuckled. "Thank God she didn't have her glasses on. Come on Sasquatch, chop this mother down so we can get back inside." He handed Sam the axe, and stood back as he sliced it down. When it finally toppled Sam straightened up with a gasp. Dean could see him sweating under all his layers, despite the cold air around him.

"What?" Sam asked defensively. Dean smirked as Sam's cheeks flushed pink from exertion.

Dean took off for the house, leaving Sam to pull the huge tree by himself.

"What, I gotta do all the work?" he yelled after his Brother.

xXx

When they finally had the tree inside, it filled an entire corner and brushed against the ceiling. He and Sam stood in front of it, looking from the stand to the tip.

"Maybe we should have got a smaller one." Sam mumbled.

Dean looked at it for a second before shrugging. "Oh well. The bigger the better, right?" he smirked, raising his eyebrows at Sam with a nod. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Always my motto." Dean smirked as his wife padded down the stairs. She was in a short dressing gown and was rubbing a hand towel through her hair, over one shoulder. She spotted the tree. "Holy Hell, Dean! Could you have picked a bigger tree?" Although she sounded reprimanding, her smile was undeniable. "That must have cost a fortune." she added suspiciously.

Sam looked to Dean.

"Yeah," Dean nodded awkwardly. "Only the best though, right?" he tried to charm.

"Sure." she said unconvinced. "Funny, 'cause Mr. Stepson, next door, has a very similar tree in his yard." Her eyes were fixed on Dean's innocent eyes. "I'd hate to think someone might steal it 'cause they can't be bothered to drive across town to buy one." She gave him a knowing look, deciding to give him a break. "It's beautiful, thank you." she praised, giving him a welcome kiss.

"Now all we gotta do is decorate this monster." Sam mumbled, eyeing up the enormous tree; it was taller than Sam and that was saying something.

"'We'?" Jen smiled. "Nuh-uh. 'You'. You two have the chores; I'm going to get my beauty sleep."

Dean mumbled something affectionate about her not needing it as she padded back upstairs. He turned to Sam with a huff. This was going to be a long night.

xXx

Sam followed Dean to the basement. The floor was tiled in iron, thanks to Bobby. The small window was bolted shut, thanks to Dean, a hammer and several nails. And toy cars scattered the stairs, thanks to little Sammy, despite being told never to go down in the basement.

"Nice," Sam mumbled appreciatively. Dean turned to see him eyeing the ceiling. Dean followed his eye line to see the Devil's traps painted there.

"Oh, yeah, did that just after Halloween." he shrugged.

"Cool." Sam nodded.

"You think that's cool?" Dean mocked, indicating to the paintings. "Please, that's child's play." he kidded. He gave a conspiratal tilt of his head and led Sam under the staircase. He held his hands out grandly. Sam just looked confused.

"Why am I staring at a water heater?"

Dean rolled his eyes at his younger Brother, pointing out the rosary beads fed in to the system. Sam's eyes lit up.

"Seriously?"

"Hell yes," Dean replied proudly. "The entire water system has to flow through this bad boy," Dean said, tapping the metal appreciatively. "External water, like the toilet and garden taps are infused with liquidated silver nitrate. Faucets are all fitted with filters of course; but it's worth it. I push one button and the sprinkler system in the front yard, backyard and house start up."

"I'm actually kind of impressed." Sam said, looking relatively excited. "Bobby's invention?" he challenged.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Actually it was my idea but he helped...ok, he helped a lot." he ignored Sam's chuckled. "Come on, let's get this done so we get have a beer." He headed past the safe and to the other side of the basement.

They headed to the far corner, to an iron locker. Dean pulled it open and rummaged around before pulling out a brown box and thrusting it against Sam's chest. Sam gave an unstoppable 'unf' as the box knocked the air out of him. Dean dropped another box on top before slamming the locker closed. He grabbed up two bundles of cable, both wrapped in a big loop, slung them over his shoulder and head back upstairs. He also found it hilarious when Sam skidded on the staircase, thank to Sammy's cars and nearly 'did a Home Alone', as Dean put it. Sam didn't find it so funny.

xXx

Sam checked his watch; just ticking over midnight. Before they had started the house was incredibly bare considering the festive season. Dean said he'd been putting it off so they could do it together; but Sam suspected it was because they didn't have a step ladder and he, Sam, was the only one who could reach the ceiling without needing to stand on anything. Besides the stockings over the fireplace, thanks to a mid-week shopping trip with the kids, and the tree, there was nothing else festive around. It was actually quite depressing seeing as there were children living in the house.

Sam was actually quite impressed by the turn around they had achieved. The room was definitely no longer bare. The fireplace now had a holly wreath running across it, framing the stockings. There were candles and ornaments settled across the top. The shelves were now lined with tinsel and hanging ornaments on delicate golden thread. The chandelier (_'God Damn Chandelier costs more than my car' _Dean always exaggerated) was sparkling with additional trinkets attached; Jen had picked them out especially for the living room. Shiny streamers hung across the ceiling, crisscrossing from one point to another. The window was now adorned with snow; well the fake spongy kind, despite it already building up on the window ledge on the outside. Lights hung around the window, a soft glow just visible through the drawn curtains. Even the fireplace had been cleaned out and had fresh logs in it. The couch now had a festive throw, and cushion covers with reindeer and elves on. The tree itself looked like it had been taken straight out a magazine, despite Dean's terrible attempts to apply baubles, which resulted in them clustered on one side.

"Did you forget the tree goes right the way around?" Sam teased. Dean shot him a glare and stripped the baubles. Sam took over after that and it looked loads better. It took them 10 minutes just to get the fairy on the top, but they didn't tip the tree, so that was a good thing. When they were finally done they dropped on to the couch with a deep sighs.

"That is the last time I get the Christmas chores." Dean mumbled.

"Isn't that what you said last year?"

They had a beer as they caught the end of game highlights on TV, Dean whining when Sam talked over it, having called to say goodnight to Sara. After that they trudged upstairs to bed. Well, Sam did, Dean got halfway up before he remembered he needed to put that trash out. "Aw, look at you, domestic house husband." Sam teased.

Dean resisted the urge to kick Sam's feet out from under him as he begrudgingly headed back down. By the time he'd put the trash out, locked up all the doors and double-checked them, turned off all the lights and finally got upstairs, he felt dead on his feet.

He popped his head in to Sammy's room to check on the kids; he also double-checked the window was locked. He then headed to Mary-Ellen's room. He peeked in and saw Sam had dropped all his clothes on the dresser, too tired to bother folding them. Dean checked that window too, just in case. He leaned over Sammy for a second, seeing his mouth hanging slightly open as he heavily breathed in his sleep. Dean smirked at the flowers on the duvet he was cuddling as he brushed Sam's hair from over his eyes, noticing how his long legs hung out the end of Mary-Ellen's single.

"Goodnight Sammy."

He eased the bedroom door closed as quietly as he could. He edged along the corridor, set the alarm and flicked out all the lights.

He finally dropped down to sit on the edge of his own bed with a sigh; alarm clock said it was just after 1 in the morning, and he had been up since 7 this morning thanks to his Son's excitement at the snow. He kicked off his boots, socks and pants, kicking them under the bed.

"You know I hate it when you do that." Jen mumbled, rolling over sleepily.

Dean smiled as he pulled his shirt off. "Yeah, I know. I'll get them in the morning." he appeased. He turned to look at her, seeing the light gleaming of her skin in the dim light. _'She's so beautiful.'_

He pulled off his tshirt and slid under the covers to join her. She immediately melted her body against his. _'How else am I going to keep warm?'_ she always argued. His arm went protectively around her.

"Snuggle closer Dean, I'm cold." He knew she was provoking him.

"Dean Winchester does not snuggle." he insisted softly, but moved closer anyway. He felt her kiss his neck. And then his jaw. And he couldn't help but feel warm under the briefest touch.

"What, you gonna tell me you're too tired?" she smirked, again winding him up.

"Have I ever?" he murmured, tracing his own lips dangerously close to her skin. He heard her breathing hitch as he moved on top of her, his chest flush against hers, settling snugly between her thighs.

He could feel her nails gently dragging through his hair, along his neck and across his shoulders. Her legs wrapped snugly around his tapered waist, drawing him in. He fluttered kisses across her chest, tracing up the side of her neck to nuzzle the soft skin below her ear. "You know what they say," he heard fall from her lips.

Before his lips could skim her jaw and on to her precious lips she pushed his chest roughly. "Save a horse," She rolled them over, pressing him down as she climbed on top of him.

"Ride a cowboy." she said with a seductive glint in her eye.

His hands caressed her smooth thighs, landing at her hips where he gripped gently.

God, he loves being married.

xXx

When Dean woke at 10.30am the next day and stretched out to find the bed empty, he vaguely remembered being woken by Jennifer when the sky was still dark. She was going to pick up her parents. He groaned inwardly and remembered why, for the last 8 years, he had hated Christmas Eve. Besides being a pain in the ass, ever since he had knocked Jen up, her parents had made it the bane of his life to make the preChristmas visit a tradition. Not to mention, Jen's father was a world-class A-hole, who never missed a chance to put Dean down. He considered hiding under the covers for the rest of the day, except Jen would kill him if he greeted her parents in his shorts again. Her Mother seeing him literally in all his morning glory was not something that needed to happen again. He heaved himself up and spied the note beside him.

_'In case you forgot, I've gone to fetch my parents, be back soon. I took Sammy with me, love you x'_

He smiled and stretched, his muscles rolling in the relief it brought.

By the time he had sleepily stumbled downstairs barefoot, stubbed his toe and discovered they were out of pie, he knew it was the start of a sufficiently crappy day.

He heard footsteps only minutes later. Sam appeared in a tracksuit.

"Morning." he chimed, in a surprisingly perky tone.

"Morning. How come you're up? I was going to let you sleep in." he replied, fiddling with the damn coffee thing that Jen had assured would make life easier. Yeah right.

"I heard you nearly fall down the stairs." he smirked. "I thought I should come save you _before_ you blew up the coffee machine."

Dean looked at him for a moment. "Ok, smartass, let's see how _you_ work this thing." he amicably challenged.

In seconds, Sam had crossed the kitchen, reached over to the buttons of the appliance and a stream of dark liquid began to pour. He looked up at Dean triumphantly.

"No one likes a wise ass." Dean mumbled as Sam merely chuckled.

"I'm heading out for a run, won't be long." Sam said, pulling his IPod from his back pocket.

"Sam, it's freezing out there." Dean argued.

"It's not that cold." Sam countered. "I'll just go once around the block." He stuffed his ear buds in and disappeared out the door.

**AN: Please let me know what you think, even if it's critique. Hope you enjoyed it x**


	3. Chapter 3

Outlaws And Inlaws- Chapter 3

**AN: You guys are amazing, thanks for all the alerts. Please please please review? It's difficult to write what people like if you don't know what that is. Hope you like this one. You'll see Jen's parents, one of whom I would royally love to shoot lol**

When Sam returned 15 minutes later, Dean had the frying pan spitting. Mary-Ellen was already at the table, waiting patiently for her breakfast. Sam noticed she was wearing Dean's old ACDC shirt; he used to borrow it when he was sick, at least until his growth spurt hit. It was several sizes too big for Mary-Ellen and it fell to her knees, but she didn't seem to mind.

She nibbled on a triangular slice of toast as Dean added scrambled eggs to her beans. Sam smirked; family meant Dean's cooking skills had gone from heating beans to actually having to be able to cook a meal.

"Hey Sasquatch, go shower, you stink!" Dean called, adding beans to his own plate.

"Only 3 plates?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Jen took Sammy with her; she's gone to collect her parents for Christmas Eve dinner."

"Which means Daddy has to cook the dinner tonight." Mary-Ellen said knowingly. "Last year he burnt the chicken."

"I didn't burn it, I just like it crispy." Dean defended.

Sam chuckled and headed upstairs to change.

xXx

Sam knew his brother could be a jerk sometimes. He could be a world-class A-hole if he wanted to be. And Sam had noticed that as the day went on, Dean was becoming more and more of a snappy bastard. Since Jen was going to be out most of the day, either driving, stopping for lunch or driving back, she wouldn't be back with her parents until early evening. So Dean, and therefore Sam had been charged with most of the house duties.

The first was cleaning the bathroom. Dean mumbled and groaned but otherwise got on with it. He cringed when he cleaned out the trashcan, whined when he had to scrub the bath tub, looked incredulous when Sam suggested cleaning the tile grouting and point blank refused to go anywhere near the toilet bowl. Sam rolled his eyes, Dean may be acting like a petulant child, but hey, what's new there?

Next they had to clear the front yard, shoveling the snow off the driveway and path. Dean was now almost silent, not even moaning about his numb toes and icy fingers, despite gloves. That was when Sam knew something was wrong. Dean could yell until he was blue in the face, but if he went silent and couldn't even scream about his problems, that's when you know something is _really _wrong. It was rare, but Sam recognized it straight away. When they were nearly done, Sam finally asked.

"So, what's up, Humbug?" he approached, dropping a large chuck of compacted snow on to the bank. Dean glared and carried on shoveling, but didn't even look up. "What, did Jen not kiss you goodbye this morning of something?" he joked, hoping Dean would lighten up.

Dean glared as he finally finished. He grabbed up the shovel and headed back to the garage. Sam followed with a sigh; he wanted his Brother to be happy over Christmas, not miserable because of whatever he was mulling over. They stored their shovels.

The Impala was stored in the garage under a tarp to protect it from the cold weather. "Hey, we could go for a spin around the block if you wanted, before Jen gets back?" Sam suggested. Nothing cheered Dean up like sharp turns in the Impala and a scream of tires.

Dean glanced over. "No." he said, turning to head back inside.

"You're turning down a ride in _Baby_?" Sam asked in genuine surprise.

Dean sighed with a long look at his precious car. "I prefer to keep her inside over Christmas." He headed inside before Sam could say anything. Since when had Dean ever hidden his car away?

They had shed their thick coats, gloves, and in Sam's case, his scarf. ("You're seriously wearing a _scarf_? God, you're such a girl." Dean had mumbled.)

They warmed up quickly as Dean set up the fireplace. Mary-Ellen was settled sideways in the armchair, reading a book so large her head was completely obscured, only her hands visible either side propping it up.

"Wht'cha reading?" Dean asked, eyeing the cover.

A pair of orbous, innocent eyes appeared above the pages. "Just a book."

Dean sighed. "What's this one about?" he dared to ask.

"The Salem Witch Trials." she said as innocently as should could.

Dean left it at that, but made a mental note to make the book scarce before Jen got back. Sam saw Dean head to the kitchen, his shoulders tight and tense. Mary-Ellen saw him looking.

"Daddy always gets grumpy on Christmas Eve." she said, looking slightly sad.

"Yeah? You know why that is?" Sam asked.

Mary-Ellen frowned. "It's because Nanna and Grandpa come to visit. Nanna likes Daddy, but Grandpa's mean. Daddy says he's a world-class A-"

"Ok!" Sam interrupted quickly. "I get it. Does Grandpa not like Dean- your Dad then?"

"I heard Mommy and Grandpa arguing once." Mary-Ellen sat up as though conspiring. "They were in the kitchen and Grandpa said that Mommy could still find someone else."

"Someone else?" Sam frowned.

"To be our Daddy. Grandpa said he knew people who had more money than Daddy, and could buy us loads of things. I don't want lots of things, I just..." Mary-Ellen looked sad, closing her book and moving to sit on Sam's lap. She buried her head in to his chest, her little arms doing their best to wrap around his huge chest. "You don't think Daddy will leave do you? If the money runs out, you don't think Mommy will get us a new Daddy?" Even though Mary-Ellen sometimes had an adult head on her shoulders, her childish innocence and naivety were there.

Sam wrapped his warm arms around her tiny frame. "You know what? The money's not going to run out. Your Daddy works very hard, and he gets more money every week. And I know Mommy loves Daddy very much. She's not going to trade him in for some old man who works with your Grandpa. And you really think Daddy would ever leave Mommy? Or you and Sammy?"

She considered for a minute and then shook her head. "Daddy loves us." she whispered.

"Of course he does." Sam added certainly, stroking her curls. "I tell you what," She lifted up her round eyes; he was often just as suckered by them as Dean was. "Why don't you go get dressed up for dinner later and I'll go cheer Daddy up."

She smiled and hugged him. She hopped off his lap, heaved up the heavy bound book and tottered off to the staircase.

Sam sat silently for a moment. So that was why Dean was pissed; because his wife's Father was a total jerk. Well dinner should be eventful.

Sam headed in to the kitchen to find Dean struggling to pull the plastic wrapping off of a frozen chicken, his jerky, agitated movements causing him to lose his grip and get even more worked up. Sam popped his knife and quickly sliced the plastic free.

Dean gave an appreciative look but didn't say anything. He placed it in a metal tray and slid it in to the oven. He fumbled with the temperature dials before standing up and mumbling "God I hate these things."

"What?"

"Chickens, if they don't come in a KFC bucket I hate them." Dean frowned. Sam resisted the urge to laugh.

"So, Mary-Ellen mentioned about her Grandparents. What they like?" Dean froze a little as he poured him and Sam a drink. He slowly put the bottle back on the top shelf and sat down opposite Sam.

Dean considered for a minute. "Carol's nice; always taking the kids out to the zoo and the park when we have to work. She helped arrange Mary-Ellen's swimming lessons, even babysat Sammy so Jen & I could go with her." he shrugged. When he didn't say anything about his Father-in-law, merely taking a sip of his drink, Sam pushed a little.

"And her Grandfather? What's he like?"

Dean frowned as he lowered his glass. "Dick's a dick!" he said.

"Yeah, Mary-Ellen kind of said as much." Sam nodded.

Dean looked up. "She still thinks I'm looking to run?" he asked sadly.

"You know about that?"

Dean nodded, his eyes fixed on his glass. "They've been coming for Christmas Eve for years, and he's always been a Dick, ever since the first time I met the bastard."

"What did you do?" Sam asked.

"I didn't do anything; apparently being _Me_ was enough for him to hate me. That and maybe knocking up his daughter." He shrugged with a slight smirk. "So anyway, last year, they stay later than usual; he's had a drink or two and pulls Jen in to the kitchen. Next thing I know, they're having a pissing match and he's yelling things I wouldn't even say to a sailor." He takes another deep swig from his glass, Sam's sitting untouched. "He starts saying how I have nothing for her, no money, no future, and how his _golf buddies_ have so much to offer her. Apparently balding, overweight, diabetic lawyers are all the rage." he added humorlessly.

"Mary-Ellen said she heard it all." Sam says.

Dean nods. "We were all sitting by the fire. She was happy and smiling, and then I look over and she's hysterical; never seen her like that. Thanks to her _loving Grandpa_, she was convinced I was leaving and Bob-from-accounts was going to be her new Daddy. She slept in with me and Jen for a whole week afterwards." Dean let out a heavy sigh. "Dick's just...well he's a dick. You'll see that for yourself."

Sam nodded as Dean drained his glass. A cascade of footsteps came down the steps as they heard a car pull up.

"Daddy, they're here!" Mary-Ellen called. Dean rolled his eyes and turned the chicken up, that was no doubt going to be late. Sam quickly followed, quickly placing his drink on the coffee table when he realized he was still holding it.

Sam hung back and smoothed out his clothes as Dean opened the door. His wide smile meant that Jen must have been approaching first. Seconds later, Jen stepped through the door, with Sammy on one hip. Dean quickly captured a kiss to calm himself, and Sam could see the sympathetic look Jen passed.

"Hi Baby, you ok?" she asked offhanded but Sam heard the silent question.

"I'm good," Dean said taking a snoozing Sammy. "Chicken's in, but it'll need some of your magic to be done in time."

"I'm sure I can manage it." she smiled. Dean's expression soured as he spotted something over her shoulder, he turned away and brought Sammy to rest on the armchair.

First a beautifully aged woman stepped in, her brown hair was perfectly styled. Her red skirt and matching jacket were formfitting, with a complementing white blouse and low heels. "Mary-Ellen, you get your cute butt in to Grandma's arms right now!" she chuckled. Mary-Ellen giggled and deeply hugged her Grandmother. Carol patted her head as they released and then spotted Dean. "Dean," she gasped, moving closer to look him over and placing her hands on his shoulder. "Been working out I see." she praised.

Dean smiled politely and shrugged. "Don't have the time with the kids, but work puts me through the ringer."

She smiled fondly and patted his cheek.

"Still whining about working then." came a stern voice. An aged man stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Don't all men." Jen tried to appease, placing her hands on Dean's shoulders soothingly, before heading to the kitchen, Mary-Ellen followed her quickly.

His suit screamed _'expensive'_, as did his leather shoes, that no doubt cost as much as Dean's monthly groceries. His smile, or rather sneer, was one of utter smugness and superiority. He stepped forward in greeting, but did not move to shake Dean's hand. He was looking Dean up and down, no doubt assessing how much money he had by what he was wearing.

Sam took an instant dislike.

"And still drinking too." Jen's Father added, nodding to the glass on the coffee table. Dean didn't drink that much, but Jen's Father used every ammunition he could.

Dean looked around and rolled his eyes, just his luck.

"Actually, that's mine." Sam said, picking up the glass and drinking it down to make a point.

The man looked him over with tight eyes. "And who might you be?"

Dean stepped closer, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. "This here is my little Brother Sam." he said proudly.

"Ah!" Carol exclaimed in delight. "Finally getting to meet Dean's side of the family. And don't you two look quite the pair." she gushed, stepping up to Sam and having to look up.

"You know what they say dear," her husband interrupted. "Bird's of a feather, cut from the same cloth, and all." No one missed the insult.

"Now, darling, don't be so hasty, he's a strapping young man. They both are." Carol charmed. "Dean, are you ever going to introduce us?"

"Oh, yeah. Sam, this is Jen's beautiful Mother Carol." Sam gave her a polite kiss on the cheek. "And this is her Father." Dean begrudgingly added.

"Dick, right?" Sam asked politely. From the change in the man's expression and Dean's hidden smirk he could tell he had immediately said the wrong thing.

"Actually, I prefer Richard." he said stonily.

"Of course." Sam said, noting how his extended hand had gone unshaken.

"So what is it you do Sam?" Carol asked as they moved to sit on the couch. Her husband sat beside her, observing the living room with critical eyes.

Sam caught Dean's eyes. "Erm, I was a law student."

"Law, you say?" Richard asked, eyes alight.

"Only pre-law."

"But on the right path, nevertheless." Richard said imperiously. Sam caught the sneer directed at Dean.

"Well until I dropped out." Sam added, causing an awkward silence. "I quit just after my LSATs and went on a roadtrip."

Richard looked disgusted but Carol looked intrigued. "A roadtrip? How exciting."

"Yeah, it was. I drank my own weight in alcohol, hustled pool and broke the speed limit more time than I can count." he said with a polite smile. "But you expected that right?" he directed at Richard. "What with us being cut from the same cloth and all."

"Sam." Dean warned, he may be secretly doing cartwheels in his head but it was still Jen's Father, and he didn't want to spoil another Christmas.

"Excuse me." Sam said with a steely expression, heading outside for some air. There was an awkward silence.

"Well, he's certainly a character." Carol graciously offered.

"You can say that again." Dean smirked.

xXx

Sam didn't come back inside for a while. Dean suspected he was resisting the urge to thump Dick in his face. But that meant Dean was in the living room with Dick and Carol by himself. It was an awkward silence as he tried to talk with Carol, only for Dick to keep interrupting the atmosphere.

"Honey, come set the table?" he heard Jen call from the kitchen.

Dean couldn't move quickly enough. He hated that jerk and would have willingly run him over by now. Reversing up a few times afterwards.

"How you holding up?" Jen asked.

"Jen, I'm not a kid, I can handle him." Dean groaned, moving to the cupboards.

"You _'handling'_ my Father is what I'm worried about." she smirked. "Last thing I want is to find his cufflinks wedged in to the tires of the Impala."

Dean smirked. "Please, I can hide evidence much better than that." He handed her a set of plates. He saw her cautious smile. "Come on Jen, you know I don't start anything."

"Dean, I know my Father is a bit...domineering at times but-"

"Domineering? Jen, the guy practically tried to ship our kids off to boarding school in Switzerland!" Dean said in a severe whisper.

"It was a summer school-"

"That he insisted on paying for!" Dean added. "We don't need his money, Jen! I can provide for my own family!"

"I know you can, you do-"

"And I definitely don't need him looking down on me. That ass wouldn't know hard work if it stabbed him in the neck!" His frown eased up as he realized he was directing his anger at her. "God, if I had a werewolf-" he mumbled.

"Hey! Look, I know you don't like my Parents but they're here and that's it. I don't want that kind of talk around them."

Dean sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know, I know."

xXx

Jen had asked Sam and Dean to move the dining table in to the living room, the couch pushed further in to the room. By the time they were sitting down to eat it felt like they were sitting on nails. Half the meal was spent in silence. Dean sat at one end, Jen at his left, Sam at his right. Dick was opposite, his wife to his left and Sammy to his right. Mary-Ellen had refused to sit at that end of the table, taken a spare chair and settled at the corner between her Father and Uncle.

Sam and Dean popped their knives almost simultaneously to cut their meat.

"Good Lord, I see horrible habits run in the family." Dick muttered in to his glass. Sam tightened his grip on his knife but otherwise kept his mouth shut.

"Now Richard, let them eat how they want." Carol placated. "So Dean, how's the build going?"

Dean's job in construction meant he was working on the renovations of the Central Library in town. As well as part time at the garage down the street.

"Going good. Plans were slightly delayed but we're making progress." he replied politely.

"Daddy said when the library's finished he'll take me there and I can get as many books as I want." Mary-Ellen piped up with a grin. Dean smiled fondly.

"It's a wonder you can afford to provide on a wage like that." Dick interrupted; seemingly unaware his Granddaughter had even spoken. "Especially since you didn't even finish high school."

"Dad." Jennifer warned, she hated when he did this.

"Now, now, Jenny, I'm just saying, he could really apply himself if he came to work for the company. We need someone to assist in the office."

Sam frowned suspiciously. Dean didn't look surprised so the subject had obviously been approached before. By 'assist in the office', Dick meant pushing paper, filing, making coffee and being a general slave. Which almost meant he could put Dean 'in his place', i.e. inferior to Richard and his wealthy friends.

"Dad, we've told you before, Dean loves his job-" Jen refuted.

"And I'm sure he's very good at it." Carol offered. Dean never understood how such a kind person could fall for a royal ass. "You must work very hard."

"Especially to afford _this _place. But I suppose it's the best a drop-out can do."

Dean let out a deep sigh he'd been holding and counted back from ten.

"Actually, Dean worked really hard to get his GED as soon as he could." Sam finally butted in, tired of the bullshit. Dean couldn't help his chest swelling proudly. He could still remember it, feeling stupid for wanting to go back to school, and then Sam helping him find all the books he needed at the library.

"But he needn't have done if he's finished the first time around." Dick raised his eyebrows and drunk down the last of his wine. Beside him Carol had given up trying to dissuade his behaviour and was finishing up her food. "Our Jenny finished as valedictorian." Dick boasted; Jen hated that nickname, she'd slap Dean any time he said it. "If people like _him_-"

"You know what, you-!"

Sam immediately cut off as Sammy began to whimper, his little hands pressed to his ears. Jen sighed with a sad frown, immediately moving to her son, whose eyes were red and moisture in them threatening to spill over. Dean handed her the Impala keys (the humming engine always soothed Sammy, discovered when he was teething).

"I'll be right back." she said, not missing the warning in her tone. Mary-Ellen looked her Father, who nodded and she followed her Mother out.

"Still driving that Impala?"

"Yeah." Dean said stiffly. The Impala was the one thing Dick wouldn't whine about; he'd tried to buy it off Dean as soon as he'd seen it. Of course Dean point-blank refused, despite the numerous 'generous' (Or rather, the greedy) cheques Dick had sent. Dean sent them all back.

"Rather selfish to keep it, don't you think? When it could be sold to support your family." Richard mumbled bitterly.

xXx

Jen returned a few minutes later with Sammy snoozing in her arms and settled him down upstairs. When she returned to the kitchen she was unsurprised to find her Mother questioning Sam.

"So Sam, are you married?" Carol asked, her eyes intrigued.

Sam almost blushed and shook his head with a smile. "Erm, no, not yet."

"But there's a woman, right? Handsome young boy like you, there has to be a lady!" she chuckled.

Jen tapped Sam's back as she passed with a smile. "Fending them off in packs, eh Sam?"

Sam ducked his head in polite modesty. "Erm, actually there's only one for me." he said with smile.

"So there is a woman!" Carol said victoriously. "Tell me everything, what's her name? What does she do?" she said, in a way Dean would have expected from gossiping teenage girls.

"Something respectable no doubt, that's to say if she is a _lady._" Dick chuckled doubtfully.

Sam kept his hard eyes on Dick. Sam was in no way ashamed of what his girlfriend did, what he did or how they lived. "Actually, she's a model."

"Really?" Carol said in interest. "Clothing catalogues or advertisements?"

"Lingerie, actually." Sam said with his head high.

Richard coughed and spluttered in surprise. Carol raised her eyebrows in shock, her mouth starting to lag open. She may have an open and accepting mind but she was still raised in more modest times.

"Really?" she asked, trying to recover.

"Yes. She's going to night school to become a teacher but something's got to pay the bills in the mean time right?" he smiled.

"A street corner would be sufficient." Dick mumbled.

Jen quickly stepped in, pointing out it was getting late as Sam started daggers at her Father, barely remaining in his seat. Of course it wasn't late at all, but even Jen's Mother could tell it was time to leave.

By the time Jennifer had gotten her parents in their coats and to the door, Sam was almost shaking in frustration.

"We'll see you soon of course," Carol smiled, kissing her Daughter's cheek. "And very nice to meet you Sam."

Sam smiled tightly.

"And Dean, always nice to see what a great job you're doing." Carol praised genuinely. Her Husband snorted in the doorway, obviously not agreeing in the least.

"She'd be doing a lot better if she hadn't _settled_." It was barely audible but the words stung in Dean's ears.

"Excuse me." he said, his hand inching to pull the revolver from his boot and cram in between Richard's eyes. He headed for the kitchen, hearing Jen's patience finally break.

"For God's sake, Dad, just get in the damn car!"

The door slammed violently a few moments later and Dean breathed a sigh of relief. He'd never have imagined simply keeping your mouth shut could be so difficult. He leaned against the kitchen counter and felt the tension slowly seeping away. He seriously needed to go for a drive.

Sam burst in to the kitchen. "Why the Hell do you let him talk to you like that?!" he demanded.

"Leave it Sam." Dean sighed. He'd asked himself this before and always came up with the same answer.

"No, Dean! If it was anyone else you'd have killed the son of a bitch by now!"

"Sam-"

"Dean, I'm serious. How can you let that jerk in your house, around your kids, when he speaks to you the way he does?! You'd shoot him if you could, so why-"

"Dammit, Sammy of course I would!" Dean exploded. "I'd pump that son of a bitch full of lead so fast it would make his head spin, but I can't! I just can't! I hate the way he treats my family, but I can't do anything!"

"Why not?" Sam demanded.

"Because he's the only family they have!" A silence fell as Sam considered this. Dean sighed. "Besides you and us, their Grandparents are the only other family the kids have. And Yeah, he's a dick! But Carol's the best damn Grandma I ever saw, she would die to protect our kids, so who am I to take that away from them? And if it means I gotta put up with his bullshit then so be it!"

With that Dean left the kitchen, kicking open the door in frustration. He headed for the front door; he needed to go driving, just a few laps around the block before Jen got back.

"Daddy?"

Dean stopped with his hand on the front door. He turned and saw Mary-Ellen at the top of the stairs. She was sitting on the top step, changed in to her nightgown and with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were dry but Dean could see her bottom lip quivering between her teeth. His anger immediately shrank away as he climbed the stairs.

"Where were you going?" she asked.

"Nowhere, baby. Was just gonna go for a drive." he sat down beside her, and she climbed in to his lap.

"One of the go-away drives or the ones around the block?" she queried tentatively.

He sighed. "Just around the block." he promised.

"Like the time you knocked over Mr. Stepson's mailbox?"

"Hey, you're not supposed to mention that again." he smiled.

"Do I really have to go to those music classes?" she asked sadly. Dean sighed, Richard had obviously handed her leaflets again, trying to make her 'better', or at least what he thought she should be.

"That depends. Is it one of those sissy classes with harps and pianos, or are you gonna rock out to Van Halen?" he teased.

She giggled, easing the tight feeling in his chest.

"Come on, bedtime." he said, standing up with her in his arms.

"But Daddy, we can't go to bed yet!" she argued.

"Oh, yes you can."

"No, we have to put the carrots out first." He looked at her. "For the reindeer." Oh, right, the reindeer. Why did he always forget the reindeer? "And we can't do it until Mommy gets back." she stated.

He looked at her suspiciously. "You hustlin' for a story?"

She giggled. "No."

He considered for a minute. They had time to kill. And what harm could it do? He looked back at her. "Wanna go for a ride?" Her eyes lit up.

xXx

Sam was sat in the living room by the fire feeling guilty. He hadn't even thought about the kids. And putting up with a cankerous old bastard for a Grandfather was worth it if they got Mary-freakin'-Poppins for a Grandmother, right? He sighed, he'd have to apologize to Dean, and especially to Jen for behaving like he did. Or maybe-

Boots thundered down the stairs. He looked up and saw Dean appear with Mary-Ellen on his shoulders. She was wearing a nightgown tucked roughly in to a pair of jeans and wellington boots on her feet. She giggled excitedly when Dean spun her at the end.

"Hey, me and Mary-Ellen are going for a spin, watch Sammy?"

"Sure." he said automatically.

As Dean opened the door, Mary-Ellen instinctively reached over and grabbed his coat from the stand and ducked her head as they went out.

**AN I don't usually pressure for reviews but the number of reads compared to reviews is painful lol Just one word to let me know if it's good or bad? For Christmas? XD Shameless I know lol Hope I did good x**


	4. Chapter 4

Outlaws And Inlaws- Chapter 4

**AN: I seriously love you guys! Another great response, so I ****feel loads better about this fic. Thanks to ****SPN Mum, ashevilleidiot, It'sJustADream, janicesepeda, pendragon2000 (Love the name by the way lol), CBloom2, and Stone120.**

**To answer a review, I thought maybe Carol stays with Dick because he used to be charming when they were teenagers, but of course his mood decreased as he grew up. And of course his Catholic family means they'd rather stick it out than get divorced.**

**This chapter has a must more family feel to it, now that Dick's gone especially lol We get to hear about Sara and how Sam's relationship is developing. And of course, Christmas Morning.**

They got back nearly half an hour later. Mary-Ellen was wearing her Father's oversized coat, the sleeves pushed up so her hands were free. Dean closed the door when he heard his daughter.

"Busted."

He turned and saw his wife with her arms crossed. Uh oh.

"Hey honey, I'm home." he joked.

"I can see that." Dean knew all of Jen's tells, the way she tightened her eyes when she was angry. Or licked her lips when she was anxious. Even drumming her fingers on the laptop keyboard and she couldn't think what to type next. His favourite was her little shiver; he'd slide in to bed late because of work, slightly colder than she was (thanks to no heating in the garage) and he'd feel her tremble, but still slide closer. Luckily for him, her eyebrows were not tight, she was not biting the inside of her lip and she was not drumming her fingernails on the doorjamb.

"We've been waiting to put the carrots and cookies out."

Ten minutes later and Dean was checking the Devil's trap under the rug where the table was. Sammy glimpsed the red paint.

"Was 'at?" he pointed.

Dean looked awkward for a moment. "Er- they're landing spots for the reindeer. So they know where to land." He saw Mary-Ellen roll her eyes; she'd obviously been at Bobby's books again.

Jen arranged several cookies on the plate and a glass of water. Mary-Ellen looked disappointed. "But Mommy-" "I know sweetie, I know, but we're all out of milk."

Dean waited for Jen to take the half pack of cookies back in to the kitchen before he quickly whipped out a rosary. From Jen's suspicious eyes when she returned, she obviously suspected what he had done.

It was nearly 10 o'clock by the time they had gotten to the kids to bed, extremely late for the usual 7.30 bedtime, but it was Christmas. And they'd still be up at the crack of dawn anyway.

xXx

They had donned the coats again and were rummaging around in Sam's trunk. He was driving the Pontiac, much to Dean's amusement.

"I thought you were going to get a new one?"

Sam smirked. "I'm not gonna just steal a car Dean, the last thing I need is to get busted. And besides, this one still runs fine, I bet she could outdrive-"

"Don't even say it." Dean warned, causing Sam to chuckle.

Sam handed Dean a large duffle bag, colourful wrapping paper visible through the opening.

"So what you got me this year?" Dean asked.

"I guess you'll have to wait and see." Sam smirked.

"Sam, come on, I'm not a kid, and I know Santa isn't real." Dean argued.

"Exactly, you know better." Sam smiled. "Theoretically you should have more patience, wait until morning."

Dean grumbled as Sam slammed the trunk shut. He suddenly looked awkward.

"Erm, there is one thing I want you to have now." Sam said, opening the car door and reaching in for something off the back seat. "I, er, I wanted you to have this." he said looking slightly vulnerable.

He handed Dean a wreath of beer cans. Dean looked stumped for a second. It looked like the one their Father had made years ago.

"You made this?"

Sam blushed. "Well I tried, Sara helped a little." Dean raised his eyebrows. "Ok, she helped a lot, but I made most of it."

Dean smiled. "How times change." he mumbled with a slightly sad expression.

"And how some things don't." Sam added. He hesitated awkwardly for a second and then pulled Dean in for a hug. They stood together for only a moment before Dean grumbled and pushed him back.

"Ok, _Samantha_, let's get inside before you burst in to song or something."

Sam smiled and locked the car.

He helped Dean retrieve the presents from the attic, noting the extra cellotape on most of them thanks to Mary-Ellen's snooping. And it was painfully obvious which ones had been wrapped by Jen and which by Dean, thanks to the contrast of precise and dodgy wrapping. He also begrudgingly brought in the gifts in the garage, left by Carol and Dick on their brief visit. They trudged up to bed, a late night again. Dean kicked his clothes under the bed again, settling behind Jen with a final yawn before he practically passed out.

But as usual, within only an hour Dean was tossing and turning. He flipped on to his left side. Then his right. Then his back and stared at the ceiling. He sighed. This was no use, he'd go insane if he lay there until morning. He gave up with a sigh; he kissed Jen, slipped out of bed and headed downstairs.

Sam found him half an hour later, sitting in front of the fire in his shorts. He had his left foot up on the coffee table, a beer in his left hand and Jen's sawn-off resting in his right. Dean picked out Sam's distinctive footsteps as soon as they reached the top of the stairs. Sam's attempts at being quiet were useless. He reached the couch and stepped clean over the back with his long legs, dropping in to the seat beside Dean. He too was in his shorts, but at least had put on a shirt.

"Thought I'd find you down here." Sam said, retrieving one of the beers from the floor beside Dean's leg.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Dean asked.

"I could, but I thought you wouldn't mind the company." Sam popped the cap of the beer, taking a deep swig.

Dean nodded slightly, his eyes on the fire. They were quiet for a while, content to watch the flames, until Dean piped up.

"So, this girl-"

"Sara."

"So when am I going to get to meet her?"

Sam shrugged.

"And how come I didn't know she existed until now?" Dean said.

Sam shrugged again. "I don't know, it just didn't really come up, I guess."

"So she's a model?"

"Only a day job, she wants to be a teacher." Dean nodded in response, considering for a moment. He drank from his bottle, wondering if to push his luck.

"She know about the lifestyle?"

Sam gave a smile. "You have no idea." he chuckled. "I went over to see her one weekend. I'm just getting out of my car and she comes flying out the house, screaming about some guy hiding in her closet. Turns out it was a ghost from the previous tenant, hung himself in the closet. She locked herself in the car while I dealt with it. After that she wanted to know everything. And for me to switch her bedroom to the office." he smirked.

"And you just told her? About everything?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Come on Dean, you did the same with Cassie years ago, even Jen-"

"That's different. You know people freak when you tell them this stuff."

"Not Sara; she's tough. She was hardly excited by the prospect of something possibly watching her sleep though. She knows what we do-or what_ I_ do, seeing as you're mainly a Real Housewife these days-"

"Hey, I still kick demon butt now and then-" Dean interjected defensively.

"-but she prefers not to know. Out of sight, out of mind, you know?"

"So when you come home covered in God knows what?" Dean asked incredulously. "What, she just ignores the blood and dirt and crap all over you?"

Sam shrugged. "She just puts them in the washer. No questions asked."

Dean chuckled. "Take more than fabric softener to get that smell out. Hey wait, washer? Since when do you own a washer?"

Sam hedged for a second. "I don't."

"So why would you be using a washer that you don't own?" Sam shrugged. "Because she owns one? You've been using her washer, at her house, when you come _home _from hunts?" Dean pieced together, a concentration frown on his face. He smirked. "Aw, Sammy, you playing house now too?"

Sam ducked his head. "Not exactly, I mean I still got my place, she's got hers, but...we seem to spend more and more time at hers."

"You gonna move in?" Dean pried.

Sam sighed and dropped back in to the couch. "I don't know, it's not exactly my call."

"If you move in she's gonna find out about you." Dean smirked.

"What about me?"

"All your bad habits, your tendency to bitch in the mornings, and your _infatuation_ with Star Wars." Dean chuckled with a shake of his head.

"Hey, I'm not _infatuated_, they're just good movies!"

"Whatever you say, Spock."

"That's Star Trek, you asshat." Sam chuckled.

Dean merely gave him a look at his point being proved. Dean stretched high and yawned. "Come on, we should hit the rack, actually try and sleep before our Sammy wake up call."

"Wake up call?"

"You'll see."

xXx

Dean groaned. Something was cold. Very cold. And it was against his back. He pressed deeper in to the mattress with a groan. He lifted his head to see Jen hoarding the covers again, exposing his back and the expanse of his legs to the cold air.

"Jen," he groaned, tugging his half from under her arm and shuffling his body towards the middle of the bed.

"Hmm," she murmured in an adorably sleepy way as she rolled over to face him.

"Baby, you're stealing the blanket again." he whined, his eyes barely open against the light coming through the blinds.

She snuggled closer to him, his arms automatically wrapping around her. Her hand felt almost white-hot against his bare chest, her legs immediately warming his calves as she tangled them together.

There was a stampede of feet against wooden flooring and Dean sighed. "Oh no."

Jen chuckled, yawned and forced herself to sit up. Dean groaned as she pulled the covers back, exposing his chest. "No, no" Dean whined with a frown.

It was quiet for a moment before the footsteps pounded again. The bedroom door burst open and little Sammy came flying in. He was pulling Sam's hand, as Mary-Ellen pushed him in from behind. Sam stumbled in, his hair in all directions, covering his face, in only his shorts.

"Well there's a sight I could forget." Jen teased as she tied the cord of her dressing gown, pulling open the blinds fully.

"Ah, Jen, please," Dean begged, rolling on to his back with a sigh.

Little Sammy gave up trying to shift his Uncle and scurried to the bed; he clambered up and jumped in to his Father's lap.

"Daddy, its Chris'mas!" he yelled as his knee collided with Dean's groin. Dean gave a guttural moan as his whole gut seemed to seize up and ache. He cradled his crotch as he squeezed his eyes tight, barely breathing as he went red in the face.

"Oh no, Sammy be careful." Jen said, lifting him from Dean. "Come on, let's go find start breakfast. Mary-Ellen no cuddles right now, let's leave Daddy to feel better, come on." He could hear Jen retreat, no doubt looking sympathetic.

Dean breathed through it, unashamedly rubbing his crotch in an attempt to ease the pain. He eased on to his elbow, releasing a deep breath, his hand still clenched between his thighs.

Sam was still against the doorjamb, his hands rubbing his eyes. "You too huh?" he asked, Sammy no doubt jumped on Sam a lot harder.

Dean sighed and fell back on to his pillows.

xXx

By the time Dean made it down stairs the ache in his groin had receded. Sam was already at the table, his hair pushed back so his face was visible, even if it was still obvious bed hair. Mary-Ellen was helping set the table, handing her Father his knife and fork as he sat down. Little Sammy was kneeling in his seat, his eyes fixed firmly on the modestly large pile of presents under the Christmas tree in the corner.

Dean finally started to become aware once Jen handed him a cup of strong coffee. He rubbed his eyes as Jen smoothed down his hair, which was predictably tousled in the cutest way. By the time he'd drank half his coffee he felt more human, noticing the breakfast in front of him.

"What time is it anyway?"

"7.45." Jen replied, surprisingly awake.

It wasn't as early as he had thought. "Still ass-crack-O' Clock in my book." he grumbled.

"Says the one that got a lie in." Sam mumbled. "You got to stay in bed, we've been waiting for nearly an hour. Sammy's about to burst if he doesn't shred some paper soon." Sam smirked.

"Breakfast first, Sammy." Jen ordered, settling him down on to his bottom, trying to make him focus on his plate rather than the brightly coloured paper. He absentmindedly put a sausage in his mouth, halfheartedly chewing on it, his attention still completely on the presents, his eyes transfixed in almost awe.

"Sammy." Dean said gruffly. Sammy seemed to snap out of his fascination. "Eat your food buddy, and then you can open presents."

Only ten minutes later and Sammy was finished, eagerly fidgeting in his seat with excitement. He sat anxiously for another five minutes as everyone else finished up.

"Now?" he asked pleadingly to Dean.

"Not yet, I haven't finished my coffee." Dean smirked. Jen rolled her eyes.

Sammy sighed but waited. When Dean finished his coffee, Sammy looked hopeful. Dean shook his head. "Gotta let your food settle, champ." Only a few more moments passed before Jen smiled.

"Dean, quit your teasing, he's waited long enough."

"So I can?" Sammy asked excitedly.

"Go for it." his Mother smiled.

Little Sammy turned sideways in his chair and boosted himself off. His feet thumped against the floor and he ran flat-out to the colourful pile. He disappeared amidst them, like disappearing underwater; he resurfaced seconds later with a purely joyful laugh that could metal gold. Mary-Ellen giggled and joined him.

Dean couldn't help but smile. He had everything he needed right here. His family. Who cared what Dick thought, whether he didn't have enough money, or two jobs, or even had a habit of eating with a flick-knife. This- his children, wife and brother, happy on Christmas- day made everything worth it.

"Come and open presents Daddy!" Mary-Ellen called.

Jen chuckled as Dean jokingly hurried over and dropped to the floor. The kids laughed and made it their mission to pile presents on top of him.

"Hey, you gonna stack them or open them?" he teased. He checked Sammy had the right nametag before letting him loose, watching him demolish the wrapping paper.

xXx

Only a few minutes later and they were like wild animals, nails shredding through the thin paper with ease. Sammy popped up from under a pile of paper and brandishing a box of toy cars.

"Momma, cars!"

"Wow Sammy, Santa must be feeling generous this year." Jen chuckled.

"Oh my god. Oh my God!" Mary-Ellen yelled.

"What, what's wrong?" Dean panicked.

"Uncle Sammy!" she squealed in delight, diving in to his lap for a hug. "Uncle Sammy got me the final Harry Potter book!" she smiled, her eyes looking watery.

"Ah, come on, man." Dean whined. "The movie practically traumatized her, now you're giving her the book?"

"But Daddy, this is the best thing ever!" Mary-Ellen smiled.

"She wanted the books Dean; and the final is one of the best." Sam shrugged.

"Thank you." the little girl smiled, returning to her spot and cradling the precise book to her chest.

"You know you'll be the one paying for her therapy sessions when she finishes it right?" Dean smirked.

"She'll be fine." Sam assured.

"Besides honey, you said you liked the movies." Jen argued.

"No, no, no, that's not what I said." Dean denied. "I said I liked _watching_ them not that I liked the movies themselves. In case you haven't noticed there are a lot of hot women in those things."

"You're disgusting." Jen said, but she kissed him anyway.

"We could start reading it tonight if you want?" Sam offered, smirking at how tightly she held the hardback.

"Thanks but that's ok. Daddy always read them to me; he's really good at the voices."

Sam chuckled. "Oh really?" he asked, looking to Dean; who had turned a suspicious shade of red and was shrugging.

"I don't know what she's talking about." he dodged.

**AN: I'd love to hear what you think x How are people feeling about Sara? Supernatural fans are notorious for not liking the women in the boys' lives so I'd be interesting to see if people actually like her. Of course Mary-Ellen is a Potterhead, especially since Dean seems to be a closet geek lol Only one chapter left to go x**


	5. Chapter 5

Outlaws And Inlaws- Chapter 5

**AN: Here it is, the final chapter. Someone asked about action coming up, but unfortunately the whole fic was already written when I started posting and I didn't want it to be posting by the end of December. And I wanted the boys to just have a simple domestic Christmas. Thank you to all the readers, reviewers and people adding alerts. This chapter's a bit shorter than the others but I hope you like the ending.**

The paper was piling up and despite the modestly sized piles of gifts, everyone was happy. Dean handed Jen a square, almost flat box. She undid the purple ribbon, smiling him in a way of asking 'what have you done now?'

She took off the lid and lifted up the tissue paper. After only a second she stuffed the lid back on.

"What is it Mommy?"

Dean chuckled, smirking at Jen. "Er- Daddy just bought Mommy some new pajamas." That was an overstatement; the amount of fabric in that box didn't actually count as clothing.

"That's nice." The kids were oblivious but Jen sent Dean a mock glare; an appropriate time and place would have been nice.

Half an hour later and Jen was squashing gift paper in to a bin liner; the floor finally visible again. Sammy had made a fort from the boxes his present came in; amongst other things he had toy cars, socks, new shoes, alphabet books (which he'd disregarded as soon as he saw his gift from Sam-), and a small bow and arrow set. The little suckers on the end of the arrows kept popping off, or had rather conveniently been pulled off, and Jen was sure that someone was going to lose an eye before the day was out.

Mary-Ellen had compiled a stack of books, which were sure to keep her occupied until school started again. She had a few clothes (from her grandparents), but from the pink flowers and butterflies, Dean knew the tags would never be removed, let alone the clothes seeing the light of day. Sam had of course bought her the final Harry Potter novel, and a considerable amount of stationary. Dean couldn't fathom why stationary was a good Christmas present but his daughter had been made up with them, so that's all that mattered. He had bought her a small silver locket, delicate clear glass ivy across the front, leading to a red rose. It had cost a small fortune (i.e. a considerable amount of overtime) but it was worth it to see her face when she opened it. Of course, as was tradition, it was time his son got what he needed; a leather jacket. It was slightly oversized and the leather hadn't softened yet but his was funny to see him toddling around in it. He kept trying to pop the collar, and while Dean was quite proud; Jen kept smoothing it back down.

Jen had brought him a new pocket knife, despite his favorite one still being in great condition. She had gotten Sam a shirt, and passed a not-so-subtle hint about how it would be suitable for meeting a _certain_ _someone's _parents. Dean pulled Sam aside to exchange gifts, preferring a little privacy.

"I, er, I picked something up for ya, not much but-" Dean held it out, feeling slightly stupid.

Sam tore off the newspaper (seemingly a tradition between them) and smiled. Dean had bought him a leather bound journal, secured with a thin silver chain.

"I figured, you know, since you're heading out on your own now, well not alone but sometimes going solo," Dean fumbled. "I just thought maybe you should start your own diary."

"Journal?" Sam corrected.

"If that'll make you feel manlier, yeah." Sam rolled him eyes.

"This is really great Dean." He pulled his Brother in for a one armed hug. When he stepped back he presented Dean with a similarly wrapped gift. He tore of the paper to find a watch, not brand new but in good condition. Dean flipped it over and saw the stainless steel back was engraved; a pentagram and in the middle, 'WINCHESTER'.

"It was the first thing I bought with my own money. Well, with my own _earned _money." Sam explained.

"Take it you don't mean pool."

"No, I er- I bussed tables for a while when I first got to college."

"Sammy, don't you think you should hold on to this? I mean I'll just get it covered in oil and-"

"I'm giving it to you Dean. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to, but I'd like you to have it."

Dean looked touched for a moment before roughly clearing his throat and shrugging, seemingly offhand.

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Dean tried to ignore the gesture but clipped the watch on anyway. He observed it on his wrist, turning it this way and that, before smirking.

"You like it?"

"I love it; thanks." Dean grabbed Sam in another hug.

"Mom said 'have you two done playing girlfriends yet?'" Mary-Ellen interrupted.

Dean immediately put on a 'macho' façade and stalked towards the kitchen.

Usually they only said Grace at Christmas, more out of habit than anything; Jen's Father had Catholic family and the ritual had been ingrained in her routine since she was a child. This year it was Mary-Ellen's turn. Dean did not bow his head, nor did Sam, but they listened politely.

Mary-Ellen bowed her head dramatically, as little Sammy rested his completely on the table, forehead to cloth.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we're about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord, Amen." There was a slight pause. "And to all the Angels in Heaven, Happy Holidays, hope ya'll are havin' a bitchin' Christmas. Amen."

"Mary-Ellen," her Mom spat, though she couldn't deny the smile on her face. Dean smirked and just tucked in to his food. "I wonder where she heard that language." Dean kept his head down.

The day sped by; Sammy played with his cars, shot arrows at his bears and Mary-Ellen settled in the armchair, barely visible over the piles of books around her. By the time it started getting dark; Sammy, Mary-Ellen and Jen had fallen asleep. Little Sammy had slept where he dropped; on the dining room chair, his torso supported by the seat, his legs hanging over the edge. Mary-Ellen was sideways in the chair, Deathly Hallows cradled to her chest.

By the time they'd settled all three in to bed, Dean was in dire need of a beer. He was by the window, beer in hand, when Sam came downstairs.

"I thought you were turning in?"

"I was." Sam said. "And then I called Sara. We've been talking-"

"Is this bad news?" Dean asked.

"No." Sam smiled. "Jen was right, this thing with Sara is, well a _thing_. I'm not saying it's forever but it's definitely going _somewhere_."

Dean nodded along, nonplussed.

"So we're thinking of taking the next step-"

"Aw little Sammy's gonna get to cash in his V-card." Dean teased; an expression of mock-pride as he patted Sam's shoulder.

"Are you going to let me finish?" Sam said, with a slight smile on his lips. "We were talking and Sara wants me to meet her parents. And, well..._we_ don't really have any. So I decided...I want you to be the first to meet her."

Dean nodded. "You are damn lucky we don't have baby photos of you in the tub."

"So is that a yes?" Sam broached.

"'Course it's a yeah, I'd be honored. So when do we do this thingy?"

Sam chuckled. "Actually, I convinced her to fly down tomorrow. She's a little nervous of intruding but I figured the sooner the better right?"

"The way you visit? Hell yeah." Dean laughed.

"Ok, well I gotta be up early to pick her up so I'm gonna crash." He took the stairs two at a time with ease, hesitating at the top. "Thanks Dean." He smiled fondly and disappeared.

Dean braved the biting cold to take out the trash. He yawned widely as he reached the end of the front yard. He stuffed the oversize refuse bag in to the can, placing the lid on top as best he could. As he turned he spotted Mr Stepson next door, standing in his garden in his dressing gown. Dean saw he was staring down in confusion at the stump where his tree _used_ to be. He spotted Dean looking.

"My tree's gone." He said in dewilderment, glancing up as though he expected it to drop out of the sky.

"Yeah I saw."

"Someone stole my tree." His neighbour frowned, scratching his head, not knowing what to do.

"Some people huh?" Dean tried to joke. "They just don't understand 'private property'. " He gave a forced smile. He gave a nod and headed back inside, leaving Mr Stepson behind, who was foolishly looking at his hedges as though they were hiding the tree. He closed the door as Mr Stepson started looking at the roof.

Dean smiled for a minute before dropping on to the couch. He had expected Christmas this year to be horrible. Despite the brave face he always put on, work was driving him in to the ground. He was always tired, physically exhausted from working two jobs, but he always had a smile for his family. He worked long shifts, but money was still tight. He'd been worried they wouldn't be able to afford Christmas dinner, let alone presents. Overtime had been his godsend.

And yet here he was. His family had had a great Christmas day; they'd had the tree, the dinner, even a few presents. His kids were happy, his wife is happy and now Sammy is too.

Dean had had to withdraw from the Life after so long, the kids noticing him coming back in the morning and getting curious, Jen worrying all the time. He'd been worried about Sam going it alone, he was more than competent, but it was without backup; and Dean knew how wrong a situation can turn within only a few seconds.

But now Sam was getting his own family; Sam thought it wasn't heading anywhere _fast_ but Dean had thought the same when he'd met Jen, and now he had everything he wanted. Well, almost.

Something caught Dean's eye. He set his empty beer down on the coffee table and slid off the couch. He knelt down beside the tree and reached under. Right at the back, almost hidden was a small blue box.

Dean picked it up; it was too neatly wrapped for it to be something he had bought, and Jen would have remembered if it was something she had gotten for someone. He tugged off the ribbon and tossed the lid aside.

He shook his head in disbelief, a fond smile appearing on his lips. He carefully lifted out a crystal Angel, the wings fully spread.

"Cas, you sappy son of a bitch." He shook his head with a soft chuckle.

He placed the Angel in the centre of the mantle; pride of place. He gave it one last look before flicking out the light and heading to bed. This had been their best Christmas by far.

**AN: Leave a review? It's nice to get feedback on what I write, even if it's just a yes or no lol Thanks for reading and sticking with it x**


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